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“Axel,” I gasped. “This looks amazing.”
I hadn’t tasted it, but the stuffed chicken breasts in a white wine sauce smelled divine. The baby potatoes and green beans appeared to be the perfect doneness.
“Are you going to be impressed now?” he asked, taking his place beside me.
“I’m getting closer; that’s for sure.”
He chuckled then bowed his head for a moment before looking back at me. He nodded toward my plate. “Give it a taste.”
“Should I be suspicious?” Taking my time, I placed my napkin on my lap—it was a soft lavender linen embroidered with small flowers in one corner. I’d always loved them, but they’d been in the bottom of one of the kitchen drawers, like so many thing related to Axel Pendleton. These had been a “prewedding” gift from his mother, since she’d been sure an engagement was coming soon and couldn’t resist.
Ignoring the memory, I picked up my fork.
“No,” he laughed.
I raised an eyebrow at him, making a show of putting down my unused fork. “Isn’t that what someone would say who really shouldn’t be trusted?”
He shook his head. “Have you been spending too much time in the thriller section of the library? How do you like it there, by the way? At the library, I mean.”
I watched his hands, his long fingers on the utensils while he cut into his tender chicken. I swallowed hungrily, and it wasn’t so much for the food he’d cooked. I recalled those capable hands…on me.
Done teasing him, I cut a bite of my own food before he caught me staring at him.
“The library is okay.”
“You’re not happy there?” he asked, gazing at me in curiosity.
I shrugged. No one had actually ever asked me that. My parents were great and all, but they were busy. Sutton assumed being a librarian was my life ambition. It really wasn’t. Since I felt like such an underachiever compared to so many of my family members, I didn’t complain. And here was Axel, asking me what they never had.
“It’s a job. With books. I get to help people discover the joy of reading. When little kids come in…” I pressed a hand over my heart, and I couldn’t hold back my smile. “They’re so adorable when they pick out the books they’re going to treasure for a few weeks.”
“But it’s not your own place,” he correctly guessed. His eyes drew together as he studied me, his gaze thoughtful. “Are you still thinking about opening a bookstore here? Do you still want that?”
“Well, yeah. But…you know. Money, time to make that money, a business plan…. All those things are issues.” I might want to open my own business, but it was so far out of my reach that I didn’t know how I’d ever get there. Sure, I had been consistently savings, and I had a rudimentary plan, but I wasn’t getting very far very fast.
He reached over and squeezed my hand. “You’ll do it. If you really want it, you get there. I know you. You’re smart and resourceful and determined. I know you’ll find a way. It may be six years since we’ve really talked, but you’ve always been driven. I’m sure that hasn’t changed.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest, a tingle running along my skin from where he clasped my fingers. I gave him a small smile. “Thank you. That means a lot. I just feel like…I’m destined to do something more than work there. At the library, I mean.”
“And…” he continued. “You will. I have money, you know? I would help you.”
Gah! I wanted to say yes. My own bookstore was one of the two things I’ve always wanted most in my life. The other being him. But I could never say yes. He was not a ways to a means, and I wouldn’t give him an in to get past my anger—even if I was determined to play nice while he was here.
“That’s…generous, Axel. It’s a lot to think about,” I hedged.
“Butdothink about it.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t lie, and I didn’t want to argue. I was so tired of arguing. “Axel…” Knowing I needed to change the subject, I finally took a bite of the food he’d made. “Oh my God,” I moaned. “Axel, this is so good.”
He grinned. “Told you I learned how to cook.”
“You really did!”
“Tell me about what’s been happening in town. My parents are crap about updating me.”
While we ate, I told him about Cherish Cove’s businesses that had changed or closed, new ones that had come in, friends who’d moved away or gotten married, and what other friends were up to.
“So that girl Oakley fell for while she was on vacation came back to Cherish Cove?” Axel asked while I took my plate to the sink.
